Matt Hazard: Blood Bath & Beyond Review

What failed at retail is a pleasant surprise as a download.

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath & Beyond is a much better game than last year's Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard. If you're unfamiliar with this videogame hero, the concept is that Matt Hazard is your stereotypical meathead that shoots first and asks questions later and has supposedly been starring in games since the early '80s. Both of these real games based on fake games make references to gaming culture and have a nice sense of humor. Unfortunately, the original retail game was tedious and clumsy, unable to live up to its lofty ambitions.

Now we have a much more humble follow-up in the form of a cheaper, simpler, downloadable game, and the result is a real blast from the past. Whereas Eat Lead was a full 3D shooter, Blood Bath & Beyond is a side-scrolling run-and-gun effort in the tradition of Contra. It's a lot of fun and goes a long way towards repairing Matt Hazard's reputation. Now I actually want to play more of his games.

Look familiar?

Hazard's arch nemesis has kidnapped 8-bit Hazard and our hero must dive back in time through his fictional videogame catalog in order to save himself. He doesn't actually jump through different periods in gaming, changing the graphics to fit the time, though, which is initially disappointing. The whole affair is presented with modern visuals that are very reminiscent of Shadow Complex. But you will encounter many a reference to other games from Super Mario Bros. to Mirror's Edge to Portal. Spotting a nod to one of your favorite games while blasting enemies left and right is a real delight.

Gameplay rarely rises above simply running to the right and murdering everyone in sight, although Hazard does have the ability to fire into the background -- let's see Contra's Bill and Lance do that. Blood Bath & Beyond makes good use of its depth of field, sending enemies streaming in from both the back- and foreground. Even though the game asks little of the player it never gets boring thanks to the varied levels and new enemies around every corner.

The gameplay, while fun, isn't what makes Blood Bath & Beyond unique. It has a terrific sense of humor and isn't afraid to poke fun at itself. In the opening cutscene, Matt Hazard mentions that his previous game is now available in bargain bins everywhere. When he finally catches up with his 8-bit self he warns himself to spend an additional couple months in development for his next-gen debut, because those reviews are gonna' be brutal. It's refreshing to play a game that isn't afraid to take the piss out of itself.

Blood Bath & Beyond completely abuses the rag doll effect with very comic results. Every body falls to the floor in a satisfying clump of limbs -- Hazard included. In between levels you even play Ragdoll Pachinko and send bodies bouncing through a series of pegs for possible score boosts. The amount of blood spilled along the adventure is also quite amusing.

Eat Lead felt like a bargain bin game right from the start and was way overpriced at $50. Blood Bath & Beyond is a more digestible $15, but even that is still a bit too expensive for what is a pretty simple shooter. It's fun, but it's not on the same level as $15 downloadable games like Shadow Complex and Castle Crashers. Hidden retro game boxes to find provide some replay value though, and two players can run and gun cooperatively in classic Contra style. But co-op is only available locally -- another example of why the package doesn't quite live up to the price.

The Verdict

The idea behind Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard was intriguing, it just didn't pan out into an enjoyable game. Turns out there was definitely something to that basic idea, though, because the more modest Blood Bath & Beyond is a real good time. It's a simple run-and-gun shooter in the style of Contra but its self-deprecating sense of humor and videogame in-jokes will keep you entertained until the end. Make sure you stick around after the credits for a nice little surprise.